


Waiting on Eternity

by siderealSandman



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Flash Fic, Gen, Post-Canon, crossposted from tumblr, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siderealSandman/pseuds/siderealSandman
Summary: At some point, Zelda just assumed Link would leave her.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 181





	Waiting on Eternity

She waits for him to leave her, watching over the rim of her books for the moment when he will just up and walk away. 

There is no Kingdom of Hyrule; nothing for her rule over and no need of a knight sworn to her defense. The only gift she can give is release; freedom from an oath that has defined him his entire life. 

He didn’t even react when she freed him from his promise, simply nodding and going back to stirring his soup. 

And so she waits, wondering if she should be the one to leave the quaint mountainside home he had built for himself; move into Purah’s laboratory and help her with her research. Twice she packs her meager belongings, fully intending to move out until the smell of Link’s food or the soft sound of him snoring in the night breaks her resolve. 

So she waits for him to leave…and waits…and waits. Any day, she reasons, he’ll wake up with a drive to do something other than shadow her every step. One day he’ll tire of cooking for her, tire of picking up after her, tire of listening to her ramble on at length about the implication of Sheikah created springs. He’ll find some purpose in his life that doesn’t involve her, and he would be gone. 

She waits for that day to come, counting seasons passing with a kind of bewildered frustration that boils over one day. 

“You have no obligation to me,” she says, shaking her head with a disbelieving smile as he pauses his woodcutting long enough to look at her. “No reason to stay with me any longer.” 

Not true, he signs, finger pointing at her a little longer than usual. Do you want me to leave?

Her throat closes, words failing her as her hands clumsily weave through long forgotten words. 

I…have…nothing else…to offer…you, she signs. 

Do you want me to leave? 

Want was never a luxury afforded to her; a princess’ life is defined by must and should. Responsibility and duty superseding want. 

I…want you…to be…happy, she signs slowly. 

“…I’m happy,” he says, voice soft and almost inaudible over the breeze rustling through the trees. He says nothing more, turning back to his chores as she fails to come up with a suitable objection. 

And so, Zelda stops waiting.


End file.
